“The Tripping Man in Shaw”

Ed. Note: You may also wish to contact the Mobile Crisis Team (MCS). “The team is part of the Dept of Mental Health’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program which operates 3 mental health programs:

I’d like to let you, PoPville, and the community know about a man in the Shaw area (around Florida and Georgia Aves NW) coming up to people and harassing them for (I assume) money by putting his hand in front of people’s faces (he doesn’t actually speak minus some mumbling: “come on”, “gimme” etc.) and following you if you try to walk away.

I first saw this man on Saturday (6/4) – he was tripping people as they tried dodging him and walking away, and after tripping them, he would move on to the next passerby. At one point, he even took a bunch of balloons near the soon-opening Cava and popped them in a bunch of people’s faces as they waited for a stoplight to change.

I saw him again yesterday evening at around 8:30 pm while waiting for the 70 at the Florida and Georgia Ave stop, right outside Howard Hospital. He came right up to me, lingered for way too long, and nearly whacked me in the face. A woman behind me yelled at him, then he went right up to her and did the same thing. He continued going up to people as they walked by, then started walking away from the bus stop.

While I haven’t seen him do anything more outrageous than tripping and annoying people in his general vicinity, it’s rather unsettling to be approached when you’re minding your own business at the bus stop.”

He looks a lot like a guy I saw purposely run into a runner during lunch hours around Farragut Square. When he did, he threw his watch on the ground and claimed the runner made him drop his watch and break it, and then started demanding money for it.

This same guy was in the alley outside of Sundevich Saturday. He threw water on a lady and then threw a cup at her. My husband and I were trying to get by and he tripped my husband. I also saw him yesterday in an alley off P St between 9th and 10th.

While stopped at the light on Florida Ave, in front of the Duke Ellington statue, this guy walked into the middle of the street, hands out begging for money, harassing a guy in a motorcycle. The light changed to green (he didn’t seem to notice or care). He looked at me as I was about to move, and I was terrified that he was going to jump in front of my car!

This is the same guy (pretty sure) that lounged at me while walking past him on about a month ago just east of the intersection of Florida and Georgia NW. Came within a few inches of my face and then yelled “ha got you what you gonna do now.” Thanks for posting the emergency numbers.

Counter crazy with crazy. Give him a little taste of his own medicine and I bet he backs down real quick. I hope I run into him- might just start barking (literally) in his face and see how he reacts. Could be fun.

THANK YOU to the for providing the PES and MCS numbers. I was not aware that they existed.

Twice in the last years I have wanted to call the cops about someone whose behavior was possibly illegal (similar to things in this post/ in comments below) but hesitated because they were clearly mentally ill and was unsure about how the cops would respond. I am glad their are other resources.

This sounds like someone I rode the 90 (or 96) with a month ago. He sat in an aisle seat in the back, right at the steps up to the way back. He made a point of touching every single person who walked past him with his knee. It was subtle enough at times that some people apologized for bumping into him.

On their way out, he’d stick out his foot to make them trip down the stairs. It wasn’t just that he was manspreading and taking up the aisle– he’d stick out his foot for the trip and then immediately retract it once they fell. He also started spitting at times–directed at people standing by the rear exit.

I got really agitated and wanted to do something about it, but I was in the back and felt trapped by him. I got up as quickly as I could at my stop and jumped down the stairs to thwart his tripping/spitting agenda.

Sounds like this fellow gets around. I was walking home last weekend past the Howard Theater when this same guy moved in front of me to try and block me from walking forward. When I tried steering to the right, he followed, got extremely close to me, and looked like he was about to lunge at me. Note that I’m a very well-built, broad-shouldered mid-30s male who is about twice this guy’s size, so the fact that he acted as brazenly as he did during the middle of the day in a crowded setting struck me as extremely unusual, as that type of behavior generally indicates that such a person is armed, psychotic and/or has little regard for the consequences of his actions (translation: I have a lot more to lose by engaging such a human being than doing whatever is in my power to avoid him). In any event, the next time I see him around the neighborhood I’ll pause to observe him in action, call the police if warranted and help do what I can to stop his behavior via lawful means – no vigilante justice, this ain’t Trump’s America! Roarrr – Lion of Ledroit

“Sounds like this fellow gets around.”
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I was just going to say the same thing. The photo looks a lot like a guy I passed on the canal path in Georgetown at 7:30 this morning – as he passed me, he turned away from me, faced the canal, flipped it off, and yelled “eff you!” (There was no one there.)
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(There was a time when I could have described myself as a “well-built, broad-shouldered mid-30s male.” Sigh.)

Interesting he didn’t seem intimidated. I am similar build and I live in the neighborhood described and walk these areas several times a day but I thankfully haven’t run into him yet. You are a better man than I am though…if you physically come at me you’re going to flip my HAM switch. Happy to walk around you or ignore your stupid rants, but touch me or spit on me (as someone noted has happened) and we might have a problem.

This looks like the same guy who cornered me just above Thomas Circle at 14th Street and blocked my path while demanding money a few weeks ago. When I said no he laughed and continued to block me in. I was pretty freaked out–I’m a woman and felt singled out and aggressed–but I darted around him. He followed me for about half a block, then got bored. This was the middle of the workday and I was just behind two other people (who both turned around but didn’t say/do anything), so he’s definitely bold.

There was a man near Right Proper that I witnessed do this to several people. I was outside smoking a cigarette and he approached me and said “gimmie a cigarette”. I replied with, “excuse me” and “did you just TELL me to give you a cigarette?”… I didn’t want our conversation to escalate or become confrontational, so I did end up giving him one so he would move on. But, he was extremely aggressive with not just me but the others around me and I haven’t seen him since.

I just encountered this guy at 7th and R st. He came stumbling into me asking for money with no advance warning. Thankfully- I did not fall over and after the initial shock – I turned on my NJ attitude and told him to back off. He did and scurried away. This guy appears to have mental issues!

I’m so glad someone posted this, because I almost kicked the living sh1t out of this guy last year while waiting for the bus on 11th and U street. I felt really guilty afterward, but now I see that I wasn’t the assh0le in this situation. (I should mention that I suffer from some PTSD, not from the military, but from a crap childhood. And when I feel threatened, I don’t take it well. I once leaped out of my chair at an outdoor cafe and hit a junkie in amsterdam when he got too close to me when I was eating. During grad school I was also handcuffed, but not arrested, for beating the crap out of someone in a fast food drive through who tried to road rage me).

I was wearing my earbuds and he came up and asked for money and got way too close. I said no, and heard him cuss me out. We were in a bus shelter so he was boxing me into the corner. I took out my earbuds and confronted him.

Me: what the FCUK did you just say!
him: Huh
Me: You asked me for money and I told you “no”, right?
Him: Yeah
Me: Yeah? SO GET FCUK OUT OF HERE. NOW!

He then walked to the other side of the bus shelter and gave me the stinkeye, so I went up to him
Me: What the fcuk is your problem?
Him: huh?
Me: I told you to get the fcuk out of here. So get the fcuk outta here or I’m gonna stomp your fcuking ass.

Then he crossed the street and went to the fake 7-11 to aggressively panhandle until the owner came out and yelled that he was calling the cops on him.

I felt guilty afterwards about losing it, but now I see that he was intentionally trying to provoke me. I’ll have some good news for my therapist this week 🙂

“I once leaped out of my chair at an outdoor cafe and hit a junkie in amsterdam when he got too close to me when I was eating. During grad school I was also handcuffed, but not arrested, for beating the crap out of someone in a fast food drive through who tried to road rage me).” Whoa. I hope you’re working on resolving your anger issues and on not escalating nonviolent situations into violent ones.

Pretty sure this is the same guy I saw throw a glass beer bottle at someone (didn’t hit them) on 9th street just south of Florida/U merger. For some reason I thought the two people knew each other but these posts make me second guess that. Sounds like this guy has serious mental issues and needs to be off the street. If I see him again, I’ll call the authorities.

He charged at me from the sidewalk at 8th and S last night at around 9:30pm. I was in the street on my bicycle. Not sure what he thought he’d be able to accomplish by chasing me down, but it did give me a bit of a scare.

He did the tripping thing to me and actually crossed in front of my husband to do it, after he got in our faces mumbling something inaudible. It was very sudden, and then he followed us a little ways up the street. We both yelled at him and got the eff away from him as soon as possible, and then he started in on an elderly lady who also got away from him as soon as possible. I believe this happened around 10th and Florida NW, around 5 pm last Saturday (June 4th).

Frankly, I hope he is getting the help he needs (if there are mental problems) or he is in jail if he is just a world class prick.